Right place at right time for Tigers quarterback Boyd

Tajh Boyd

Published: Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 4, 2013 at 12:09 a.m.

The quarterback once referred to as “fat boy” by his Clemson teammates emerged this past season as a lean, mean dual-threat machine whose only future weight gain could be some substantial girth to his wallet.

Tajh Boyd, who last month opted to return to the Tigers for his senior season, finds himself in the right place at the right time as the NFL undergoes a switch in what exactly qualifies as ideal at his position.

San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick applied an exclamation point to a changing of the guard in the way NFL quarterbacks handle their business by leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl berth. The second-year pro was a virtual unknown until mid-season, when head coach Jim Harbaugh inserted the multi-skilled talent as the starter in place of game manager Alex Smith.

The sudden and successful emergence of implementing a heavy dose of running the ball into a quarterback's repertoire — with approaches like the pistol and read option — has transformed a league that had long steadfastly believed such antics wouldn't work above the collegiate level.

Boyd could now be well on the verge of cashing in big-time should he stay healthy and humble while continuing to work hard and progress in all areas. This season's weak quarterback crop may have been the proper time to make the leap, but as far as returning college quarterbacks go the numbers reflect Boyd right there with Texas A&M's Heisman Trophy winning Johnny Manziel and Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch as the front-runners to be the first at their position taken in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Of course there are always dark horses that can emerge, such as Virginia Tech's physically-gifted Logan Thomas, but Boyd is certainly set up as good as any college signal-caller to receive a long, hard look from NFL personnel.

The NFL has long been known as a copycat league, and the newest and tastiest flavor of the year was the new crop of quarterbacks possessing a diverse skill set that differed from past elites. The old-school notion that strictly drop-back pocket passers the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were the only true recipe for success at the top level has now officially been superseded by the need for speed.

Granted those lacking superior mobility like Brady and Manning can still win a lot of games (heck, statuesque Joe Flacco got his Ravens to the Super Bowl based mostly on his ability to toss the long ball), but there's no doubt a seismic shift has overlapped the point of no return.

Everybody's looking for the next Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton and Kaepernick. Even Andrew Luck, last year's top overall selection, has underappreciated speed and running ability for his impressive size. Pre-scandal Michael Vick was an anomaly only a decade ago, and now his type is not only currently in vogue, but looks like it's here to stay for at least a couple of seasons until defensive coordinators slowly but surely begin to devise ways to contain this new breed.

All that is great news for Boyd, who could easily find himself among the NFL's most wanted a year from now. I would rank Boyd higher at this point in his career than what I saw out of Wilson during his North Carolina State days, and look what happened to Seattle's rookie sensation.

Whether or not the winds of change are merely a passing fad or here to stay, Boyd's going to get in close to the ground floor — which will lead to a living standard much higher up in penthouse range.

<p>The quarterback once referred to as “fat boy” by his Clemson teammates emerged this past season as a lean, mean dual-threat machine whose only future weight gain could be some substantial girth to his wallet.</p><p>Tajh Boyd, who last month opted to return to the Tigers for his senior season, finds himself in the right place at the right time as the NFL undergoes a switch in what exactly qualifies as ideal at his position.</p><p>San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick applied an exclamation point to a changing of the guard in the way NFL quarterbacks handle their business by leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl berth. The second-year pro was a virtual unknown until mid-season, when head coach Jim Harbaugh inserted the multi-skilled talent as the starter in place of game manager Alex Smith.</p><p>The sudden and successful emergence of implementing a heavy dose of running the ball into a quarterback's repertoire — with approaches like the pistol and read option — has transformed a league that had long steadfastly believed such antics wouldn't work above the collegiate level.</p><p>Boyd could now be well on the verge of cashing in big-time should he stay healthy and humble while continuing to work hard and progress in all areas. This season's weak quarterback crop may have been the proper time to make the leap, but as far as returning college quarterbacks go the numbers reflect Boyd right there with Texas A&M's Heisman Trophy winning Johnny Manziel and Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch as the front-runners to be the first at their position taken in the 2014 NFL Draft.</p><p>Of course there are always dark horses that can emerge, such as Virginia Tech's physically-gifted Logan Thomas, but Boyd is certainly set up as good as any college signal-caller to receive a long, hard look from NFL personnel.</p><p>The NFL has long been known as a copycat league, and the newest and tastiest flavor of the year was the new crop of quarterbacks possessing a diverse skill set that differed from past elites. The old-school notion that strictly drop-back pocket passers the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were the only true recipe for success at the top level has now officially been superseded by the need for speed.</p><p>Granted those lacking superior mobility like Brady and Manning can still win a lot of games (heck, statuesque Joe Flacco got his Ravens to the Super Bowl based mostly on his ability to toss the long ball), but there's no doubt a seismic shift has overlapped the point of no return.</p><p>Everybody's looking for the next Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton and Kaepernick. Even Andrew Luck, last year's top overall selection, has underappreciated speed and running ability for his impressive size. Pre-scandal Michael Vick was an anomaly only a decade ago, and now his type is not only currently in vogue, but looks like it's here to stay for at least a couple of seasons until defensive coordinators slowly but surely begin to devise ways to contain this new breed.</p><p>All that is great news for Boyd, who could easily find himself among the NFL's most wanted a year from now. I would rank Boyd higher at this point in his career than what I saw out of Wilson during his North Carolina State days, and look what happened to Seattle's rookie sensation.</p><p>Whether or not the winds of change are merely a passing fad or here to stay, Boyd's going to get in close to the ground floor — which will lead to a living standard much higher up in penthouse range.</p>